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1
Q

Abscisic Acid (ABA)

A

A plant hormone that generally acts to inhibit growth, promote dormancy, and help the plant tolerate stressful situations

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2
Q

Absorption Spectrum

A

The range of a pigment’s ability to absorb various wavelengths of light

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3
Q

Abyssal Zone

A

The portion of the ocean floor where light does not penetrate and where temperatures and cool and pressures intense

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4
Q

Acclimatization

A

Physiological adjustment to change in an environmental factor

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5
Q

Accomodation

A

The automatic adjustment of an eye to focus on near objects

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6
Q

Acetyl CoA

A

The entry compound for the Krebs cycle in cellular respiration; formed from a fragment of pyruvate attached to a coenzyme

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7
Q

Acetylcholine

A

One of the most common neurotransmitters; functions by binding to receptors and altering the permeability of the postsynaptic membrane to specific ions, either depolarized or hyperpolarizing the membrane

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8
Q

Acid

A

A substance that increases the hydrogen ion concentration in a solution

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9
Q

Acid Precipitation

A

Rain, snow, or fog that is more acidic than pH 5.6

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10
Q

Acoelomate

A

A solid-bodied animal lacking a cavity between the gut and outer body wall

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11
Q

Acrosome

A

An organelle at the tip of a sperm cell that helps the sperm penetrate the egg

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12
Q

Actin

A

A globular protein that links into chains, two of which twist helically about each other, forming microfilaments in muscle and other contractile elements in cells

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13
Q

Action Potential

A

A rapid change in the membrane potential of an excitable cell, caused by stimulus-triggered, selective opening and closing of voltage-sensitive gates in sodium and potassium ion channels

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14
Q

Active Site

A

The specific proportion of an enzyme that attaches to the substrate by means of weak chemical bonds

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15
Q

Active Transport

A

The movement of a substance across a biological membrane against its concentration or electrochemical gradient, with the help of energy input and specific transport proteins

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16
Q

Adaptive Peak

A

An equilibrium state in a population when the gene pool has allele frequencies that maximize the average fitness of a population’s members

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17
Q

Adaptive Radiation

A

The emergence of numerous species from a common ancestor introduced into an environment, presenting a diversity of new opportunities and problems

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18
Q

Adenylyl Cyclase

A

An enzyme that converts ATP to cyclic AMP in response to a chemical signal

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19
Q

Adrenal Gland

A

An endocrine gland located adjacent to to the kidney in mammals; composed of two glandular portions: an outer cortex, which responds to endocrine signals in reacting to stress and effecting salt and water balance, and a central medulla, which responds to nervous inputs resulting from stress

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20
Q

Aerobic

A

Containing oxygen; referring to an organism, environment, or cellular process that requires oxygen

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21
Q

Age Structure

A

The relative number of individuals of each age in a population

22
Q

Agnathan

A

A member of a jawless class of vertebrates represented today by the lampreys and hagfishes

23
Q

Agnostic Behavior

A

A type of behavior involving a contest of some kind that determines which competitor gains access to some resource, such as food or mates

24
Q

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome)

A

The name of the late stages of HIV infection; defined by a specified reduction of T cells and the appearance of characteristic secondary infections

25
Aldehyde
An organic molecule with a carbonyl group located at the end of the carbon skeleton
26
Aldosterone
An adrenal hormone that acts on the distal tubules of the kidney to stimulate the reabsorption of sodium and the passive flow of water from the filtrate
27
Alga (Algae)
A photosynthetic, plant-like protist
28
All-or-None Event
An action that occurs either completely or not at all, such as the generation of an action potential by a neuron
29
Allantois
One of four extra-embryonic membranes; serves as a repository for the embryo's nitrogenous waste
30
Allele
An alternative form of a gene
31
Allometric Growth
The variation in the relative rates of growth of various parts of the body, which helps shape the organism
32
Allopatric Speciation
A mode of speciation induced when the ancestral population becomes segregated by a geographical barrier
33
Allopolyploid
A common type of polyploid species interbreeding and combining their chromosomes
34
Allosteric Site
A specific receptor site on an enzyme molecule remote from the active site. Molecules bind to the allosteric site and change the shape of the active site, making it either more or less receptive to the substrate
35
Alpha (α) Helix
A spiral shape constituting one form of the secondary structure of proteins, arising from a specific hydrogen-bonding structure
36
Alternation of Generations
A life cycle in which there is both a multicellular diploid form, the sporophyte, and a multicellular haploid form, the gametophyte; characteristic of plants
37
Altruistic Behavior
The aiding of another individual at one's own risk or exepense
38
Alveolus (Alveoli)
1) One of the deadend, multilobed air sacs that constitute the gas exchange surface of the lungs 2) One of the milk-secreting sacs of epithelial tissue in the mammary glands
39
Amino Acid
An organic molecule possessing both carboxyl and amino groups. Amino acids serve as the monomer of proteins
40
Amino Group
A functional group that consists of a nitrogen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms can act as a base in solution, accepting a hydrogen ion an acquiring a charge of +1
41
Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases
A family of enzymes, at least one for each amino acid, that catalyze the attachment of an amino acid to its specific tRNA molecule
42
Amniocentesis
A technique for determining genetic abnormalities in a fetus by the presence of certain chemicals or defective fetal cells in the amniotic fluid, obtained by aspiration from a needle inserted in the fetus
43
Amnion
The innermost of four extraembryonic membranes; encloses a fluid-filled sac in which the embryo is suspended
44
Amniote
A vertebrate possessing an amnion surrounding the embryo; reptiles, birds, and mammals are amniotes
45
Amniotic Egg
A shelled, water-retaining egg that enables repiltes, birds, and egg laying mammals to complete their life cycles on dry land
46
Amphibia
The vertebrate class of amphibians, represented by frogs, salamanders, and caecilians
47
Amphipathic Molecule
A molecule that has both a hydrophilic region and a hydrophobic regon
48
Anaerobic
Lacking oxygen; referring to an organism, environment, or cellular process that lacks oxygen or may be poisoned by it
49
Anagenesis
A pattern of evolutionary change involving the transformation of an entire population, sometimes to a state different enough from the ancestral population to justify renaming it as a separate species; also called phyletic evolution
50
Analogy
The similarity of structure between two species that are not closely related; attributable to convergent evolution

Biology (10 decks)

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